11 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them, each with the agency, the fee and the official page, and what the Census counts of cocktail bars in Mississippi say.
11 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them
Every row checked against its agency’s page; the latest on Oct 21, 2026.
Step 1 of 6Set up the business. Now: Certificate of formation (LLC) and the annual report
0 of 11 items done. Each step opens when the one before it is complete. Progress stays on this device. Members keep a dated, noted plan for each saved location in the workspace.
1Set up the business0 of 3
File online through the Secretary of State’s business filing portal; there is no paper route. The certificate names a registered agent with a Mississippi street address. Fees are set by statute, and the annual report, though free, is still required, since a missed report leads to administrative dissolution.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
File it whenever the business trades under any name other than the owner’s legal name or the LLC’s registered name. Filed online only, and the state does not refuse a name because another business already uses it.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed to hire, to open a business bank account and for the Department of Revenue registration. Issued at once online.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Register through TAP before the first sale; the same registration opens the withholding account once you have employees. The state sales tax is 7%, and only two cities add a local levy (Jackson 1%, Tupelo 0.25%). The permit must be displayed, and the Department describes it as the privilege of operating a business in the state, conditioned on collecting and remitting the tax.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Mississippi has no statewide general business license, but every city collects a privilege tax and issues a license before a business may open inside its limits, usually after the zoning and building sign-off. A late renewal adds a 10% penalty plus 1% a month. Outside city limits, ask the county.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Approve the spaceOpens after step 2
Confirm the zoning allows your use before signing; a change of use needs building permits under the adopted International Building Code, and the certificate of occupancy comes after the building official’s and fire chief’s final inspections, with the occupant load posted. A restaurant may also need a grease trap approval. The health permit, the privilege license and the ABC permit all ask for it.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Get the permits for your kind of businessOpens after step 3
Mississippi permits food at the state level, not through the county. Submit the application with the floor plan, the menu and a copy of the food manager’s certificate before building out or converting a space; the review takes up to 30 days and the facility may not open until the plans are approved and the opening inspection is passed. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bakeries and ice cream shops are all food facilities. Food Protection: 601-364-2832.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
The permit application asks for a copy of the food manager’s certificate from an accredited program (ServSafe and the other ANAB-accredited exams), so hire or certify the manager before applying. Keep at least one certified manager for the facility and be ready to show food safety knowledge at every inspection.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Alcohol permitsOpens after step 4
Beer and light wine are permitted separately from liquor and wine, under their own county local option, so a town can be wet for beer and dry for liquor. Apply through TAP with the lease and the local approvals; the excise tax is paid by the wholesaler, not the retailer.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Liquor is sold only where the county has voted wet or the premises sit in a qualified resort area. Outside a resort area the permit goes only to a restaurant earning at least 25% of its revenue from meals, a hotel, a club or a small craft brewery; a bar without that food share needs resort area status. A 2026 law (HB 1330, effective July 1, 2026) named more places as resort areas and lets on-premises permits issue in them even in dry counties. Apply through TAP with the lease, the floor plan, the owners’ disclosures and the city’s approval; allow a few months.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Before the first hireOpens after step 5
Workers’ compensation insurance is required once the business regularly employs five or more people, full time or part time; smaller employers may cover voluntarily. Report each new hire within 15 days of the start date.
The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the cocktail bars already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
The full reportWhether the rules allow a cocktail bar at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
No account. The cocktail bar check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
Secretary of State business services fee schedule and LLC formation pages; Fictitious Business Name Registration Act (Senate Bill 2003, 2010); Secretary of State fictitious business name filing; IRS EIN page; Department of Revenue business tax FAQ and Taxpayer Access Point (TAP) registration pages; Mississippi Code 27-17-5, 27-17-9 and 27-17-463; city privilege license pages (Bay St. Louis, Ridgeland, Batesville, Natchez); City building and use and occupancy permit pages (Byhalia, Wiggins); State Fire Marshal rules on local fire officials; State Department of Health food permits and fees page; Mississippi Code 41-3-18; State Department of Health food permit application requirements; Mississippi Food Code (FDA Food Code as adopted); Department of Revenue beer, light wine and light spirits page; Mississippi Code 67-3-15 and following; Department of Revenue ABC permits and fees page; Mississippi Code 27-71-5 and 67-1-51; House Bill 1330 (2026); MDES employer FAQ (taxable wage base and new employer rates); MDHS new hire reporting pages; Workers’ Compensation Commission facts for employers (Mississippi Code 71-3-5); U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities add their own.
Questions about opening here.
11 items, in order: certificate of formation (llc) and the annual report, fictitious business name registration (dba), employer identification number (ein), sales tax permit and withholding account (tap registration), municipal privilege license and zoning approval and certificate of occupancy, and 5 more.
Mississippi Secretary of State, Internal Revenue Service, Mississippi Department of Revenue, Your city’s clerk or code office, Your city or county building official and fire chief and Mississippi State Department of Health, and 1 more.
With certificate of formation (llc) and the annual report (Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services), then fictitious business name registration (dba). The steps run structure, tax, space, permits, alcohol and employer, in that order.
Yes, to sell it: beer and light wine retailer’s permit and on-premises retailer’s permit (liquor and wine). The local license usually comes first.
Each item's fee, renewal cycle and official page are shown to members, as the agency published them on the date checked. Cities and counties add their own fees.
How to open a cocktail bar in Mississippi (2026) | DoorWorthy
